


Deceive Yourself

by GreyLiliy



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Authority Figures, M/M, Spark Sex, Wire Play
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-30
Updated: 2013-10-30
Packaged: 2017-12-30 23:56:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1024901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyLiliy/pseuds/GreyLiliy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ambulon is jealous of First Aid's position. First Aid's just concerned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Deceive Yourself

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rothinsel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rothinsel/gifts).



> Another Tumblr one-shot request. :3 This one for Rothinsel! It got a little dark on me, but I like how it turned out.

Ambulon wasn’t very good at deceiving himself.

The now demoted ‘nurse’ scrubbed the scalpels in the sink viciously, his face a flat expression, but inside he was scowling. “CMO First Aid.” Ambulon scratched his finger against a dried chip of energon that refused to budge. He was more than well aware that he was lying every time he said the nurse’s promotion didn’t bother him. Ambulon stabbed the clean scalpel into the bottom of the sink, fist trembling around the handle as he pulled it across the bottom.  _But it did._

Crazy First Aid. The one who stepped up and took charge in a crisis when one of the best doctors of their age was in the room. First Aid. The one who created new dangerous medical techniques—that worked. Ambulon felt his lip turn down, the snarl in his spark threatening to break his carefully neutral expression. First Aid. The new CMO who’d impressed Ratchet enough to inherit his job.

"Hey, Ambulon."

First Aid. His new boss.

The ex-Con lightened his cleaning pace, hands submerged in the cleaning solution. He carefully removed the scalpel he’d impaled into the sink, and turned it on its side. First Aid leaned against the sink next to him, and picked up a cleaned scalpel. He turned it over in his fingers, shifting his shoulders ever so slightly.

"First Aid," Ambulon said in greeting. He picked up another piece of equipment and rubbed at it gently with a rag. "Did you need something?"

"Not really," First Aid said, something cautious in his voice that worried Ambulon. First Aid shrugged, and leaned his elbows on the counter. "Just curious why you’re still here."

Ambulon stopped and looked down at First Aid. His eyes narrowed against his will. His shoulders tightened. Ambulon tightened his grip on the rag, squeezing a stream of cleaning solution from it. “Why wouldn’t I be here?”

"Your shift ended two hours ago," First Aid said, pointing up at a clock on the wall. He put the scalpel down and put his hand on Ambulon’s arm. "And it was the end of a double shift. You’re well on your way to working three shifts in a row if you keep this up."

"Oh," Ambulon said. He went back to cleaning the tool in his hand. Was that all? Ambulon wanted to work. First Aid watched his hands as he continued his scrubbing. Why should that be a problem? "So I am."

"Come on," First Aid said, pulling Ambulon’s hands out of the sink. The cleaning solution sloshed over the side, splashing the both of them, but the CMO ignored it. First Aid tugged on Ambulon’s elbow, the grip firm and leaving no room for argument. "Ratchet’ll finish this. You need a break."

"I’m fine," Ambulon said. First Aid refused to let go of his arm, and dragged him like a child out of the medical bay. Ratchet glanced at them, and Ambulon’s face heated. He couldn’t say anything, really. First Aid was the CMO, and exorcising his authority. Ambulon tugged at his arm, but Aid’s grip tightened in response. The ex-Ward Manager huffed. "I just lost track of time. This isn’t that big of an issue, First Aid."

"You’ve been working too hard, and I’m starting to get worried about you," First Aid said. He let go of Ambulon’s arm when they reached the hallway, but pushed him forward on the back instead. Aid’s hand lingered near Ambulon’s waist, never breaking contact. His fingertips burned. First Aid flattened his palm, and said, "Let’s get a drink or something. You and me, like we used to."

Ambulon flexed his fingers, nodding at others as they passed in the hallway. He pretended that First Aid and he weren’t so close. That the ex-nurse wasn’t touching him. Ambulon pressed his lips together. “I’d rather go back to my room.”

First Aid went silent, working the words over in his head.

"I could join you, if you wanted." First Aid said hesitantly, his hand still firmly on Ambulon’s back as they walked. "Might be good for you to unwind."

Ambulon looked at Aid through the corner of his optics. The look in the new CMO’s optic was hopeful. First Aid massaged his fingers into the metal in the bottom of Ambulon’s back. He was asking for more than drinks, wasn’t he?  Ambulon stared at the floor. “We could do that.”

He never was very good at telling his superiors ‘No,’ either.

* * *

First Aid was rough in the berth.

Ambulon should have predicted that, considering the other mech’s eccentric personality. Anyone who hooked jumper cables up to his spark casing had to like things a step up in his private life. First Aid bit hard into the cabling of Ambulon’s neck, his hands latched onto his hip plating. The ex-Con grunted, face down as Aid plastered himself along the chipped paint of Ambulon’s back. First Aid crashed their hips together, pulling them flush as if he was trying to combine them into a single mech.

Ambulon’s hand wrapped around the loose wires that connected their spark chambers together. Everything was hot. Ambulon wasn’t sure if something wasn’t melting with how fiercely First Aid’s spark coursed along the wire-ways attacking and drawing his spark out. First Aid clung to Ambulon as if he’d die if they let go.

"Frag," Aid nuzzled into Ambulon’s neck. He kissed the thick cabling, humming together with Ambulon’s moaning. First Aid wormed his fingers into the cracks of white and red armor a shade different than his own and tugged like he wanted to rip them out. He hit his helm into Ambulon’s back and groaned through another pulse of energy. "Frag. How have we never done this before?"

"Professionalism," Ambulon grunted. His hands groped at the edges of the berth, in no position to return First Aid’s frantic touches. "It’s a little looked down upon for superiors to frag their subordinates."

First Aid laughed, taking Ambulon’s honest derision for teasing. He smiled into the plating on Ambulon’s back, and hugged the ex-Con tight around his chest, spooning them together even closer. Ambulon was sure they’d be hammering out dents when this was over. First Aid nipped at Ambulon’s helm. “Are you saying I’m unprofessional as your superior?”

"The worst," Ambulon said, rolling himself around in First Aid’s grip so that they faced each other. He grabbed the back of Aid’s neck and smashed their lips together. He kissed every bit as roughly as Aid, tightening his grip on the other mech until it hurt. Ambulon cycled air heavily into Aid’s mouth, his body trembling in anger or pleasure. They were a bit mixed at the moment. His words, however, came straight from his spark. "Completely undeserving of the position. Ratchet should have given it to me. You were a horrible, flighty nurse and seeing you in charge of a med-bay makes me sick."

"Harsh," First Aid chuckled, kissing Ambulon. He wrapped a pulsing wire around his finger, and pressed their helms together. First Aid grinned, kissing Ambulon gently. His voice was teasing as he whispered, "I didn’t peg you for dirty talk."

"I only speak truth," Ambulon answered, in all honesty. It wasn’t his fault if First Aid only heard what he wanted. Ambulon would take what he could get. "You’re a horrible Chief Medical Officer."

"And you’ve been a very naughty nurse," First Aid answered, missing the point. Ambulon hissed when First Aid dug his fingers into a sensitive seam. His spark pulsed in response and First Aid gaped into his shoulder in appreciation. Or maybe First Aid had caught on and just didn’t care. The CMO tugged again, digging his fingers in deep. "Maybe I’ll have to discipline you."

Ambulon smiled. It surely appeared sincere from First Aid’s point of view, but the emotion behind it was toxic. It dug away at Ambulon’s spark. He wasn’t going to win this, was he? What else could he do but play along? Ambulon whispered, slipping his hands into First Aid’s side plating. “And how are you going to do that?”

First Aid chuckled and kissed Ambulon roughly.

* * *

Ambulon typed heavily at the work station, filling in the last update for the crew’s check-up. The lights were dim, and his shift was ending in about fifteen minutes. Ambulon rolled his shoulder, and sighed. It’d been a long day in the med-bay between chasing down crew members for their schedule physical, and actually doing the work. Ambulon huffed, his entire body aching. For once, he had no problem looking forward to his break.

White arms circled his chest, resting just below his neck. A face-plate bumped into the side of his cheek, and First Aid squeezed. “Almost done?”

"Yeah," Ambulon answered. First Aid was rough in the berth, and clingy outside of it. The nurse was learning new things every day, though Aid wasn’t comfortable enough to reveal this latest revelation until their third or forth visit together in the dark. Ambulon pulled a data-pad over and confirmed a number. "Just one more entry to update."

"Good," First Aid said, leaning heavily on Ambulon’s back. He nuzzled into Ambulon’s neck, and hung there.

He weighed Ambulon down. In more ways than one. “Something wrong?”

"No. I’m just really glad you’re here with me," First Aid said, his voice raw. He squeezed Ambulon possessively, as if he were something precious that might be taken at any moment. First Aid’s ‘I love you’ was unmistakable in the words: "You make the rough days worth it."

Ambulon’s fingers stopped, and he stared at the monitor. He was in too deep with this mech that he despised. But First Aid was his boss, and held Ambulon at the disadvantage—whether he realized it or not. So Ambuon leaned back into those encasing arms, and he lied. “Me too.”

He never was good at fooling himself, but he could deceive others just fine.


End file.
